Team of the competition
Spain
– This was an odd competition for Spain.
It was the first time they had to continuously defend their playing style. But
again their system was beautiful, effective and un-containable. There was no
complacency, arrogance or underestimation from Spain
during Euro 2012, they played each game with complete focus and a great worth
ethic, something their system demands immensely. Although Spain
haven’t really changed their playing style, they have improved. In the 2010
World Cup they scored 8 whilst conceding 2. But in the Euros they scored 12 and
only conceded once. It’s pretty impressive considering in the World Cup they
played a game extra and for most of the games in Euro 2012, they played with no
striker.
Overachievers of Euro 2012
Portugal
– Now this one is hard to pick. Especially considering there aren’t that many
teams in the Euros, and the Euros is only 6 games long. It basically means your
often out before you even know it.
But Portugal
have impressed me quite a lot. Although they started off with a slow and rather
lacklustre performance against Germany,
they really grew in strength as the competition progressed. It comes as no surprise,
but once Cristiano Ronaldo found his feet, Portugal
shifted into another gear. After Portugal’s
dismal qualifying campaign for the Euros and their poor World Cup in 2010, most
thought they’d go out in the group stages, especially being in the Germany,
Holland group. Instead, they
marched on all the way to the semi finals and took Spain
right to the end.
Underachievers of Euro 2012
Easy. Holland.
They were bad. So bad. They had a campaign what one would easily
define as a ‘nightmare campaign.’ It started off badly and finished badly. They
didn’t even pick up a single point. You’ve got to remember, this is the same
team who made the World Cup final in 2010. Holland
had a complete shocker. Holland
were like that kid who did really well in their 11 plus but when they did their
end of year tests, they failed. Miserably. ( You probably wont get that joke if
your over 21, sorry.)
Player of Euro 2012
This is a tough one. But for me it’s Andrea Pirlo. Prior to
this tournament only those who follow Serie A would remember and be aware of
just how he’s been. But now, the whole of Europe and the
world know that he is still classy as ever. He was a catalyst of everything
that Italy did.
He kept the team ticking over, whilst when he played as a deep lying creator, he played great intelligent long balls to
Balotelli and Cassano. When he played higher up the pitch, Pirlo didn’t look
out of his depth at all. He threaded in so many fantastic through balls from
the edge of the box and was a constant danger to the opposition. His free kick
against Croatia
was just glorious, a real demonstration of his technical abilities. While his
penalty was unforgettable. He took the tension of the night and cut it with a
pin so coolly and composedly. Just genius.
Best Young Player
Mario Balotelli
I often feel Balotelli’s abilities are a bit underrated
simply because he is an idiot. But he gave a mature, composed and determined
showing over the Euros for Italy.
He lead the line brilliantly, he kept the ball well with his strength and
created space with his quick feet and trickery. But what impressed me the most
about Balotelli during this competition was his intelligent runs, he
continuously broke offside traps and used his smart movement to open up goal
scoring opportunities for himself. You could tell Spain
were wary of this, whenever he got the ball, he was surrounded by three Spanish
players, who would restrict his space and movement. At times, I did think
Balotelli was a bit wasteful in front of goal. But the reality is, at 21 years of
age, leading the line for a nation like Italy
is mightily impressive and the fact they got to the final shows just how good
he is, when he focuses.
Best Manager
Vicente Del Bosque
This guy has got balls. When you’re Spain
and you have three exceptionally talented forwards and you choose to
predominantly play with no forwards, you have guts. Del Bosque did a fantastic
job in coming up with an offensive plan to bypass the injury to Spain’s
record goal scorer David Villa. The World Cup winning manager came up trumps
with an extremely creative and gifted central midfield taking dominance. After
his and Spain’s
latest success, you’ve got start to consider if Vicente Del Bosque is one of
the greatest managers ever. I mean he has won the World Cup, European
Championship, Champions League and La Liga. No other manager has ever achieved
that. He seems to have the ability to keep the players onside and to not allow the
players to become complacent and revel on past glories.
Moment of the tournament
Wayne Rooney’s goal v Ukraine:
It was a glorious moment. The hero returned with a goal. A
goal which allowed England
to top the group. You couldn’t have scripted it.
I JOKE
My moment of the Euros was Aindry Shevchenko goals v Sweden.
It was like the nation and the player were craving for that
moment for a life time. The sheer ecstasy from the player and fans was just
unbelievable. For me, the Sheva goals rolled back the years. The 35 year old
showed he really was the man who tore up Europe once for
Milan. What topped off the moment
was Ukraine ended
up winning the game. The pride and glory of that moment was unforgettable.
Funny Moment
Keith Andrews being knocked over the ref:
Let the pictures do the talking.
Best Match
Sweden
2 – 3 England
This game was brilliant. It had twists, turns and tantrums. England
were in complete control in the first half. They took Sweden
by storm. But in the second half, Sweden
sharpened up and in a 15 minute spell of dominance they turned the game round
into their favour. But for the first time in a long time, England
showed resilience, determination and persistence, it probably raised the hopes
of some England
fans too. This game was fantastic for another reason for England.
That reason was, Theo Walcott. Everything he had improved on in the past year was
demonstrated in that game. His final ball, finishing (call his goal luck or a
fluke, whatever you want) and his defensive work. They all were on show in his
cameo performance against Sweden.
But the lasting impact of this game was the scorers for England.
Andy Carroll, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck. All three were under the age of
24 and you could argue, they will play a key role for England
in the future.
Best Group
Group A
This group was a certain surprise. Initially, I thought this
group would be boring as listening to Mark Lawrenson co-commentating. But this group had everything; it had
hammerings, twists and utter confusion. It was like one of those parties you go
to and before you go to the party your thinking, ‘oh why do I have to go to
this? This will be shit. ‘But by the end you want to stay and you don’t want it
to end. What makes me laugh about this group was at one stage Russia
were certain to top the group. They hammered the Czechs and were rather unlucky
to draw against Poland.
Greece on the
other hand was the complete opposite. They were utterly lacklustre in the
opening two games and at one point, it looked like it was only a matter of time
till someone put them out of their misery. However, against Russia,
Greece took
their chances and held on for dear life. It certainly was one of the moments of
the tournament when Greece
made it through. No one gave them a chance. No one. But somehow they dug deep
and found it within themselves to through. What typifies just how crazy this
group was, Czech Republic
got hammered 4-1 in the opening game, yet they ended up topping the group.
Insane.
Euro
2012 XI
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